the cricket
there is a cricket which keeps coming into the kitchen at work
i hear him cricking in the morning when we open up
so loud
its quite amazing.
filling the whole bar with noise
he comes in to sleep when it is closed
he frightens the waitress and pisses off the ownerthen goes silent when you step near him
and starts up again when you move.
i imagine him watching us all through the day
while we are working,
laughing to himself
aware of how much sound he can make
how much larger than his self and everything he can become
he is far wiser than i will ever be
i imagine him slinking off when he has seen enough
and laughed enough
an
d it is safe.
all that noise in the morning.
its quite amazing
it makes me smile to myself.

Monday, December 28, 2015

I sometimes wondered what the use of any of the arts was. The best
thing I could come up with was what I call the canary in the coal mine
theory of the arts. This theory says that artists are useful to society
because they are so sensitive. They are super-sensitive. They keel over
like canaries in poison coal mines long before more robust types realize
that there is any danger whatsoever.

"The
holiday season can be very bipolar. The range of feelings during this time of
year are mixed depending on the individual and their circumstances.

There exists the feeling of division, sadness, and loss, which for a lot of
people can cause the season to have a negative connotation. On the other hand,
there are those who have ultimate happiness; those who have true cause to
celebrate, spending time with their family, repeating traditions, and
ultimately feeling fulfilled and light-hearted. Lastly, there is a mixed
emotion, one of happiness and gratefulness for what one does have, creating new
traditions and making the best of what they have, trying their best to push
forward even if the loss exists.

However, all of these feelings can exist within oneself. Sometimes the person
who seems the most cheerful, is wearing a mask, in an attempt to benefit those
around them. Others can't pull off that facade and the sadness shows
drastically most of the time. And for those who fall in the middle, those that
experience both happiness and sorrow, they are left in limbo. For me
personally, I feel a combination of apathy, guilt, pain, and the chore of
trying to pull off a positive outlook in order to not let my feelings, my
truth, drag those around me down with me".~Hilary D Zamora